Warwick Ball, a Near Eastern archaeologist and author, has spent over twenty-five years carrying out excavations, architectural studies and monumental restoration throughout the Middle East and adjacent regions, having lived, worked and traveled in most countries between the Mediterranean and China. He is currently director of Eastern Approaches, a special-interest cultural tours company specializing in the East.

Author of many books and articles on the history and archaeology of the region, his book, Rome in the East: the Transformation of an Empire, was winner of the James Henry Breasted History Prize and was Choice Outstanding Academic Book in 2000. Born in Australia, Warwick Ball now lives in Scotland.